Construction

Since a spill polluted the Dan River early last year, coal ash has become an environmental head ache for Duke Energy. But while Duke, state regulators, and environmental groups struggle with how to safely store or bury more than 100 million tons of the waste, other industries don’t look at coal ash as waste—it’s a commodity, and they want more.

North Carolina has taken measures since the 1970s to control the top water contaminant in the state, the dirt that pours into rivers and lakes from human activity. But a review of state records reveals a sharp drop-off in enforcement over the past five years and a series of warnings to lawmakers that have gone unheeded.

Major construction of bridges and tracks for the blue line light rail extension will begin in the next few months. And with that, be ready to spend more time in traffic. Charlotte Area Transit System officials announced Friday that it's making a map available to give commuters a heads up on road and lane closures and turning restrictions during construction.

Uptown Charlotte could look a lot different in five years—not the skyline, the streets. Several one-way streets will become two-way streets under the city’s Center City Transportation Plan, which is scheduled for completion around 2020. The plan will also affect Uptown this summer, when the Charlotte Department of Transportation starts converting a section of Poplar Street to a two-way road.

Ben Bradford spoke with Ashton Watson, project manager at CDOT. Watson says one of the goals is to slow down traffic. First, they discussed the upcoming changes.

Charlotte Mecklenburg School officials are gearing up for a bond referendum this fall. They laid out a plan Tuesday night to build several new schools throughout the county, including three k-8 schools and a handful of magnets.

If you’re applying for a job with a construction company and say you can lift 100 pounds, you better make sure you can do it comfortably. One Kannapolis employer is now using a new fitness exam for prospective hires aimed at reducing worker’s compensations claims.

At the Northeast Rehab center in Concord, physical therapist Sandie Warantz is showing off one of the first things someone applying for a position with the Wayne Brothers construction company might have to do.